NURSES in South Bucks said they were too overworked to take part in this year's International Nurses Day celebrations.

Thousands of nurses around the world were involved in events to mark the special day, which takes place each year on May 12 - the anniversary of Florence Nightin- gale's birthday.

Every nurse in Bucks was invited to the Anglia and Oxford region's celebrations at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge.

But the Royal College of Nursing's local representative Maria Nicholson, who is based at Amersham Hospital, said South Buckinghamshire NHS Trust staff were too overworked to consider taking part in the festivities.

She said: "We only have just enough staff to get through our workload as it is, so on this occasion the celebrations had to take second place. Our patients always come first, whatever the situation.

"It's a shame that we are so overworked in South Bucks NHS Trust but that's the way it is at the moment and we have to get our priorities right."

Jan Coeshall, regional officer for the Royal College of Nursing, admitted no staff from South Bucks went to the event and said the non-attendance was a sign of the times.

She said: "We have difficulty getting our nurses to leave the wards to attend meetings so it's not really surprising that they felt unable to go to the celebrations in Cambridge."

South Buckinghamshire NHS Trust spokesman Martin Leaver said he expected large numbers of staff across the county to take part in festivities for the 50th anniversary of the National Health Service, which take place on July 5.

He added: "Our nurses are very busy all the time, but many of them will be very much involved in the events in July."

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